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Text | Tashi Rum
Editor|Tsinghua Li Bo
introduction
The Himalayas in northern India are an important factor in the generation and maintenance of climate throughout the northern belt of the Indian continent. The West Himalayas refer to the western half of the Himalayas (from the Indus River in the west to the Kali River in the east) and are found in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
It includes three physical geographic provinces, namely the Kashmir Himalayas (Ladakh Plateau and Kashmir Valley), the Himalayas of Himachal and the Himalayas of Uttarakhand (subdivided into Garhwal and Kumaun Himalayas).
1. Vegetation of the Western Himalayas
In this area, the altitude varies from 300m to more than 6000m, representing a vast landscape covered by unique vegetated structures. In the western Himalayas, elevation changes are associated with specific vegetation types, including alluvial grasslands, subtropical forests, coniferous forests, and alpine meadows.
The submountainous areas of the Himalayan foothills and Shiwaliks are dominated by forests with Robusta wood and other mixed deciduous forests. The middle altitude includes mixed broadleaf and coniferous forests.
Above 3,000 meters above sea level, the vegetation is dominated by alpine meadows. Above 4,000 meters above sea level, the western Himalayas are characterized by arid shrub steppes (found in Ladakh and Spiti).
Bamboo represents a fast-growing, renewable, versatile, widely distributed, and low-cost natural resource capable of surviving in a variety of climatic and soil conditions.
They also play an important role in rural societies and their economies, erosion control, biodiversity conservation, riparian protection, carbon sequestration and forest health.
Because of its wide range of uses, bamboo is easily accepted by the locals, and is known as "the grass of a thousand faces", "the wood of the poor", "green gold", "biosteel", "spirit grass", and "the second forest".
Bamboo is an important non-timber forest product used in the paper industry, construction, feed, food and food containers, waterways (as a substitute for pipes), and also as an insecticide and medicine.
Due to the multiple uses of bamboo, in India, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has implemented the National Bamboo Mission to promote the overall growth of bamboo by adopting improved and new bamboo varieties in suitable areas to promote bamboo cover area, bamboo handicrafts and their marketing practices, and the development of bamboo industry.
2. Bamboo plantations and harvesting
Since most bamboo varieties are sown very erratically and infrequently, asexual reproduction is used to produce on a sustainable basis. In spring, bamboo shoots grow from the rhizome, and due to the fast growth rate, bamboo reaches its highest height at the end of the rainy season.
Bamboo uses a variety of techniques for artificial propagation, including seeding, seedling rearing (bare roots or in containers), air stratification or clay, ground stratification, planting and sowing of rhizomes or offset, stem cuttings (vegetative cutting), throttling cuttings, in vitro culture, and microcuttings.
Although seeds can be sown directly on the ground or in propagation (seedling) beds, in rows and/or on mounds, sowing is rarely carried out and micropropagation is the most useful method for large-scale propagation of bamboo. Most bamboo has a requirement for light and grows best in fertile, well-drained and moist soil.
The business unit of a bamboo forest or plantation is a clump of mature stems using a stem selection system. Harvest the stems as close to the ground as possible (preferably immediately after the first node) and remove evenly throughout the bush to maximize the use of poles and planting space management.
Third, the utilization of bamboo resources in the western Himalayas
Bamboo distributed in the western Himalayas is widely used and is a major source of non-timber forest products (NTFP) in India.
They help reduce light intensity and provide UV protection, improve soil structure and reduce soil erosion. Bamboo is a high-yielding, renewable resource that can be used to make a variety of products, including bamboo chipboard, MDF, and particleboard for engineering and construction.
1. Wood and paper
Most bamboo species produce high-grade pulp suitable for writing paper, printing paper, and other types of high-quality paper. In bamboo, fiber filaments account for about 40% of the mass and 60-70% of the weight of bamboo poles, providing long fiber materials for the pulp and paper industry.
Compared to wood components, bamboo has the advantages of a short growth cycle (2-4 years) and low cost of self-propagation, maintenance and regeneration. Even a 1.5-year-old stalk produces a sufficient amount of pulp. As a fast-growing grass, bamboo contains 57-65% cellulose, 27-30% hemicellulose, and 4.9-5.0% lignin.
Compared to other non-wood fibers such as agricultural grass, grass, reeds and bagasse, bamboo is a better fiber raw material for making pulp and paper. The fiber length, aspect ratio and cavity ratio of bamboo fibers are comparable to hardwood fibers.
The heavy ash and silicon in bamboo can have a negative impact on the recycling process and pulp products. Silicon retention technology aims to address the limitations of bamboo as a raw material for pulping and improve the quality of bamboo pulp. The Indian pulp and paper industry accounts for 35% of India's bamboo consumption.
2. Furniture and household items
Bamboo is a building material that can be used both for decorative purposes and as a structural component of a house. Bamboo furniture is very popular and fashionable in many urban and rural areas. Bamboo is widely accepted in furniture manufacturing because it is easily molded into various shapes and sizes, is lightweight, strong and durable, and can be used by local carpenters.
3. Handicrafts and art
Bamboo crafts are very popular all over the world. In India, including the Western Himalayas, many rural communities have been engaged in bamboo handicrafts for generations, subsistence and a source of income.
Indian handicrafts are known all over the world for their variety, elegance, elegance, and skill. However, according to the Handicraft Export Promotion Council (EPCH), the global market share of Indian handicrafts is only 0.08%, while China occupies 56% of the export market in just 5 years.
Baskets of different sizes and shapes are common bamboo crafts in the Western Himalayas, used for ceremonial purposes such as storing grain and vegetables and carrying agricultural products.
4. Food and feed
In different parts of the Indian Himalayan region, the young shoots of several species of bamboo are used as food (for curries, soups, and pickles). Young shoots are a rich source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, fiber, minerals, and contain high amounts of thiamine, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin E, as well as very low in fat.
Consumption of bamboo shoots lowers serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and atherosclerotic index in healthy young women, and increases stool volume and bowel frequency. Bamboo is pickled and can be cooked like rice or other grains and used to brew beer.
Bamboo leaves are highly valuable as feed for ruminants and other animals such as elephants, especially when pasture feed is in short supply. They are believed to boost milk production and are associated with high ghee (clarified butter) content.
Agriculture in the western Himalayas is rain-fed, resulting in low feed yields, followed by shortages of green and dry feed. Therefore, leaf and pasture fodder are the main source of livestock.
Bamboo leaves have moderate protein, total ash and fiber lignin content, which is a good source of nitrogen supplementation for ruminants. When fresh bamboo leaves were added to the chickens' organic food, they gained 70% more weight than chickens fed regular organic food.
Fourth, the environmental value of bamboo
Bamboo plays multiple roles in maintaining, developing, and protecting the environment by reducing pollution, absorbing carbon dioxide, and producing oxygen. They help reduce light intensity and provide UV protection.
Bamboo was used as a defensive measure to protect villages and crops from flooding. They can be used to combat eutrophication because they absorb large amounts of nitrogen. Increasing bamboo use and encouraging bamboo planting can also help reduce deforestation, use wasteland and provide cover for riverbanks, improve soil conservation and mitigate flooding.
1. Carbon sinks
Bamboo is a fast-renewable resource that is thought to improve the environment because it reduces carbon concentrations in the atmosphere and soil through rapid carbon sequestration. The large carbon storage in bamboo reduces the greenhouse effect.
2. Biodiversity, soil and water conservation
In arid and drought-prone areas, bamboo is valued for its ability to retain water and soil moisture by reducing evaporation rates. Bamboo can be used to stabilize soil on slopes and prevent erosion due to its interlaced root system.
It settles in tropical disturbed lands and has a unique ability to stitch and repair damaged soils, increase soil fertility, nutrient cycling, enzyme activity, and microbial activity. This is ideal for restoring degraded land.
In the western Himalayas and adjacent foothills, plantations of various bamboos have become tools for improving the physical properties of degraded lands and soils. The genetic diversity of bamboo and its potential for adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses also support the ecological benefits of bamboo plantations.
INBAR 2019a reports that bamboo forests provide ecosystem services that are more diverse and impactful than agriculture, grasslands, plantations or degraded forests.
Fifth, the social benefits of bamboo
According to a social assessment of bamboo, rural residents, communities and countries all benefit greatly from commercial bamboo cultivation, harvesting and processing. In many countries, bamboo has historically been readily available to the poor, and often at a relatively low price.
By creating a bamboo-based construction industry, it can provide a significant source of greater social cohesion and traditional skills building, not only retaining traditional skills but also providing new income opportunities, thereby improving the social fabric of rural communities.
conclusion
Bamboo resources in the Western Himalayas are moderate and scattered. Current bamboo has very wide and diverse uses, and its products play an important role in improving the socio-economic status of vulnerable groups.
The markets of the western Himalayas have a wide variety of bamboo products. Bamboo plantations in the Himalayas have great potential to boost the economic development of local communities. These are likely to overcome the application and potential growth of the bamboo market in the western Himalayas as well as other parts of India through awareness-raising, market contacts of local handicrafts, technology.
Bamboo plays multiple roles in maintaining, developing, and protecting the environment by reducing pollution and global warming, producing oxygen, sequestering carbon, purifying soil, preventing water pollution, controlling erosion, and more.
bibliography
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